Monday Musings

September 14, 2020

Focus: FAQs after Week two

Kravis Center Q&A drop-in sessions: bring a snack and coffee and catch up with colleagues: Wednesday, September 16 with Sara, Fiona, and Miles (Zoom Room) and Thursday with Rachel (Zoom Room)

Professional Development opportunities listed below the Q & A

Dear Colleagues,

As we enter week three of the 2020-21 school year, the Kravis Center would like to share with you some of the most frequently asked questions that have crossed our paths. We have chosen three to answer in this Musing and encourage you to come to the Kravis Center drop-in hours to either find answers to the other questions or to ask any other questions that you might have.

For me personally, I discover on a daily basis a question to which I do not know the answer. I am grateful for the plethora of colleagues who guide me as I find a path forward and often leave the discussions with a strategy that will help guide me as I navigate these unchartered waters. We're all new teachers in some way, and although I am sometimes uncomfortable with the questions and not having an easy solution, sometimes I just have to try something and see how it goes. Below are a few questions that have come up recently. Rachel, Matt, and Miles have offered "strategies" to the italicized questions.

How do I respond to students who make rude/inappropriate/offensive comments during critical conversations? Answer below
I understand in theory why I have to be perfectly aligned with my colleagues who are teaching the same class because students have to sometimes move from an in-person class to an online class. Although grateful for the curriculum that was developed, I am finding it challenging to remain loyal to who I am as a teacher. Educators in private schools experience a great deal of autonomy when building and designing curriculum. How do I regain a sense of autonomy and remain true to my teaching style?
How can I determine how long students are spending on assignments and how helpful they are finding the assignments and feedback? Answer below
I am struggling with how to give feedback, how much feedback to give. And, knowing that it is important that students do something with the feedback, how do I incorporate their responses into my class?
What's happening to all my content?! If content must take a backseat, or at least be in the passenger seat from now on, how far behind will my students be in a year? How do I determine what they really need to know? And, how do I balance the time connecting with my students and teaching them what they need to know? How do I make time to connect with my students, focus on social emotional learning, and also make sure they have the content they need for the future.
How can I quickly upload welcome videos explaining the purpose of an asynchronous class? Answers to this question and the following are below.
- Question: How can I share a resource on Finalsite with a colleague without it altering the original ones I made?
- Question: My students are having trouble accessing Microsoft 365 online! Help?
- Question: Where can I find more information about academic tech at LC?
How do I get my students up and moving in a class where they have to be six feet apart. May I move the desks?

Have a great week, and we hope to catch up with you in the Kravis drop-in sessions on Wednesday and Thursday.

Best,

Sara, on behalf of the Kravis Center

_______________________________________________________________________

How do I respond to students who make rude/inappropriate/offensive comments during critical conversations? Miles Morgan and Fiona Mills

It's everyone's worst nightmare, right? The conversation is going along swimmingly, but then a student makes a comment that's clearly upset or hurt or angered another student. Whether or not the comment was intentional, you have a few avenues to pursue in getting the conversation back on track and creating a learning opportunity for everyone present.

Have a plan in advance! It's important to think/talk through what you might do if a problem arises during conversations about identity. Lean on your own prior experience, or reach out to Fiona or me. In enough ways to matter, you can handle these kinds of situations similarly to other disruptive behavior in class.
Ask the student to explain the reasoning behind their beliefs. This tip comes straight from Teaching Tolerance's Let's Talk: Facilitating Critical Conversations with Students, linked below: "If a student takes an extreme or antagonistic position on an issue, you may need to step in to engage them directly. Instead of confronting them, try teasing out the reasons behind their beliefs. Acknowledge that they feel strongly about the issue and ask them how and why they came to have such a strong reaction." Asking a student to explore how they came to believe something will allow you to address the root of the problem (misinformation or misunderstanding, bias, etc.) and avoid making them defensive about having a controversial stance.
Remind students about Impact vs. intent. This reminder shouldn't be deployed to silence students or to make them feel censored; however, encouraging students to remember that the impact of what they say lingers and to explore their intent when they make statements can enable them to be more empathetic and thoughtful in the future. We don't want to discourage students from participating in these conversations by making them feel their opinions and experiences aren't valid but we also want to make sure that students, particularly those with more privilege, are constantly aware of how that privilege can land. In setting up your norms and ground rules for discussion, remind students that policing their own voice and thinking before they speak are key components to safe, successful environments.

Let's Talk: Facilitating Critical Conversations with Students

________________________________

How can I quickly upload welcome videos explaining the purpose of an asynchronous class? Matthew Johnson

The best, easiest way is one that was rolled out late summer by FlipGrid. Using a feature called "Shorts", it is easy to record and share quick videos within minutes. While there aren't great editing features, if you're simply looking to introduce a lesson or provide an update, it is the easiest, quickest way we've found. URLs and Embed codes are generated right after you're finished, too! Remember – don't use Safari for Flipgrid – it works better on Edge or Chrome. More information found by clicking this link.

How can I share a resource on Finalsite with a colleague without it altering the original ones I made?

The key is to make sure that in the folder properties to make sure you're selecting the check box for "Add to the Shared Resource Directory for others to COPY". Then, when a colleague wants that folder, in the class resource page, select "+ Shared Folder" and navigate to the appropriate page and folder. Note that sometimes large files will not transfer successfully – it may be best to share media files in other ways.

My students are having trouble accessing Microsoft 365 online! Help?

Follow this guide (and feel free to share with students!). Don't skip the last step about OneDrive!

Where can I find more information about …. ?

The Academic Technology page of the portal! Click here to get to it (it's under the Kravis Center's page). The page is updated frequently – some recent videos include how to use presenter view on PPT and share only the slides on Zoom, and how to convert a single point rubric into a Turnitin.com grading form.

______________________________________________________________________

How can I determine how long students are spending on assignments and how helpful they are finding the assignments and feedback? Rachel Nisselson

Use a Zoom (in online classes) or a Mentimeter poll (in in-person classes) to quickly gather student feedback. With both systems, students use a device to complete the poll and you have the option of sharing the results with the class. See these instructions for creating a Zoom pollor these instructions for creating a Mentimeter poll. With each of these polls, you will want to follow up with the class on their answers, especially if they have identified something that is not going well.

You'll want to create questions with multiple-choice answers. Here are a few examples:

Example #1) Homework assignments are designed to take you about 30 minutes and asynchronous lessons about 70 minutes. Choose the appropriate answer:

I have spent considerably less time on assignments and lessons combined.

I have spent about this amount of time on assignments on assignments and lessons combined.

I have spent considerably more time on assignments on assignments and lessons combined.

Example #2) I have found the assignments to be interesting, helpful in improving my knowledge of __________, and good opportunities to get to know my classmates.

Not true.

Somewhat true.

Very true.

Example #3) So far, in addition to real time feedback in class, you've received feedback on ___________. How helpful have you found the feedback? Choose the appropriate answer:

I have not understood this feedback and/or not found it to be helpful.

I have understood this feedback and found it to be somewhat helpful.

I have understood this feedback and found it to be very helpful.

Professional Development Opportunity with the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning (CTTL): Using the Science of Learning to Elevate How We Teach and How Students Learn with Glenn Whitman, co-author of Neuroteach.

Here is the link to the numerous PD opportunities through One Schoolhouse, one of which is Protecting Student Mental Health in Hybrid Learning Environments with Lisa Damour

Harvard GSE programs for educators - so many worthwhile workshops for teachers.